Hi Andrea

I've been on maintenance since October 15 and have been avoiding the fat carb separation because it still felt like a diet to me. But I am realizing that it is an easier way to eat for weight maintenance as it helps in controlling the amount you eat for sure. I have given myself a couple months to be rebellious and indulgent. It is time to stop being a brat and follow the IP plan the way it was designed. It is the only diet I have reached my goal with and I need to trust in that.

My daughter posed an interesting question to me yesterday about the diet. What is the reasoning for the carb/fat separation in P4? Why can't you go to a "balanced" diet?

Hi Andrea I am still trying to hunt down the reference I was sent by my coach about this - long time ago. As I remember it, the gist of the matter is that both carbs & fat can trigger the body to store, especially when used in combination. I will post the article if I can locate it.

So I found the link. The article is longer than I remember - maybe I skipped some of the scientific info & went to the end. :o

At any rate, there is lots of info plus more references if anyone wants to follow up on them.

Trusting that the link posts OK:

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/worst...r-weight-loss/

Hey all!

Thanks for the link WestWillow!

As my son has been fever-free for 24 hours, we are heading down to see my sister in Tennessee. Unseasonably warm here at 60 F...i'll take it!

Andrea, there is debate how macro-combining does or does not promote fat storage. Anecdotally, I find separating the meals as IP suggests helps me make better whole-food choices and eat cleaner. I read a non-IP article about how high fat/high carb foods are usually highly processed with saturated fats and refined sugar. I am eating looser this week but staying in calorie range...definitely feel more sluggish. We'll see if i'm up at end of vacation as a bit of a "is a calorie just a calorie" test.

Thank you WestWillow---I am shifting to P2 Jan 1 and will be in maintenance by the end of January. This is very helpful. My gut feeling was that the fat/ carb separation had to do with high fat / simple carb combinations, and this confirms it. Obviously, any fat/ carb combining can have a weight increasing effect, but I'm guessing it will be quite individual and we all have to experiment with what works. Thanks again!!!!!

Hi All,

How was your day after Christmas?

Eve- safe travels and have fun!

Eating clean wholesome non-processed food was how I gained my weight in the first place - admittedly not that quickly, 35 lbs in 4 years - but still I was eating high fat AND high carb at the same meals. Separation is what did the trick for me. I never ate the combo processed foods most have difficulties with (except for plain tortilla chips - I will admit). So for me personally I know it's not just about the processed foods, it IS about the net carbs to healthy fats ratio at meals. There were couple really good Phase 4 videos on this, if I ask my clinic to re-link me I may be able to go through them again. If anyone else is still in contact with their clinic, they should be able to re-link with the videos. Just request it, since we are in maintenance and that's what P4 is. ;)

Glad all the sickies are feeling better!
Liana

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer my question. I am still getting the videos from my clinic even though I stopped going in July. They are very good that way. I called them a couple of days after I started P2 and have been getting them every day. Hopefully P4 videos will come as well. I am going to stick with what works, i.e. IP protocol. I was curious about the science of it all.

Westwillow Thank you for the link. I've book marked it and am going to be spending some time researching the whole macro nutrient thing.

Liana I had the same problem. I simply couldn't understand why I wasn't loosing when I was eating "clean and healthy". And working out like crazy.

Off to make up some P4 menus. Going to see the movie Wild with my book club this afternoon and then meeting up with my daughter and some friends for dinner and some live music.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Hi Maintainers;

It sounds like everyone is well. I agree with Chip, this plan works and as I continue in maintenance I realize that the protical is one to be followed to be successful. Yes, you can maintain by following other plans but I found by the time I was in maintenance on this plan, I could follow the guidelines and know that I would be successful. Theres no way I can go back to the way that I was eating. I have lost weight on other plans before but didn't maintain it. This maintenance plan works. The up lbs come off and I am eating a balanced diet but eliminating the bad food, like sugar and high unhealthy fat on most days. I appreciate the tools that I've been taught with drinking water, taking my vitamins, eating lots of vegies and fruit. I definitely felt the best following this plan and following my exercise regimen. For me, maintenance isn't about perfection or never having something with sugar but eating healthy most of the time. And I'm working on that 'all or nothing' attitude that has got me in trouble in the past. It just won't work if I want to maintain this loss.

Those are some of my thoughts on this plan. Everyone is different but I appreciate all you maintainers as I continue to work at making good choices. Part of what helps me is reading this board and getting support when I need it. As far as my weight these days, I'm about 3 lbs from my happy range but I'm still in range. I've had a good exercise week but have also had some indulgences. I"m making sure that I get that water in and am watching the calories. Have a great day everyone!!

Good morning everyone,

Scale was down 2 this morning, so I am in my range :) I was hungry yesterday but my clean day worked. Really need to head to the grocery store today.

As for maintenance, I think the key is constant focus. The tools that keep me in my range are daily weighing and the fat carb separation. The benefits of the sep. were explained as a way of preventing fat storage. Not sure that I buy this theory, but I do know that having to think about fats/carbs ratios helps me plan better choices.

Like Hawaii, I am getting better at managing my "all or nothing attitude". I am learning to incorporate treats into my fun meal and to manage my food crashes without guilt and shame. Being able to come here and practice honesty and accountability has been invaluable. So many thanks to all of you!

Good Morning!

I'm feeling confused about the fat carb separation.

What I'm reading indicates that if someone eats a salad made of veggies, quinoa and olive oil, then that person will be more likely to gain weight because carbs and fats are not separated. Am I interpreting correctly?

Thanks.

Hi murrcat

The trick in IP Maintenance is not to totally separate the carbs & fats, but to make 1 meal a day (usually lunch for me) more weighted towards fats - with an approximate ratio of 3:1 fats to carbs.

The other meal (usually dinner for me) is weighted towards carbs. 3carbs:1fat.

Breakfast can be more like a P3 breakfast, with carbs, fats & protein.

I use MyFitnessPal online to figure out the nutrient values of foods I am eating.

It does take a little juggling & some practice, but eventually it seems pretty straight forward - really :)

I hope that helps. Others may be able to explain it better.

Great article and links, westwillow! I had a chance to look through most of these today. I love PubMed. Free abstracts of studies - awesome. You can find ANYTHING in their searches.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20029382
"A free-choice high-fat high-sugar diet induces changes in arcuate neuropeptide expression that support hyperphagia."

What we know and what we put into practice can be very different on some days, lol. Thank you, amygdala, ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens.

Liana

Thanks, Liana, for my first outloud laughter of the day! My cats think I may be losing it, but they didn't read your post, so what do they know?!

Good morning!

I don't know a lot about the science behind the fat/carb separation and I'm not sure it's been studied enough to know whether it really makes a difference but I do know that it works great for maintaining (for me). By keeping within my calorie/fat/carb/etc. range and breaking the fat and carbs into separate meals (mostly) I find it an incredibly effective mechanism for staying in control and keeping my weight stable. Ok, probably not the official IP line but as long as I'm staying in my weight range I'll run with it!

Been doing a lot of year end house cleaning and relaxing. I needed the mental break and have only logged onto the office computer a few times to make sure any emergencies were covered. Has been very quiet for us which has been a blessing.

Was up a couple of pounds for a few days after Christmas (darn ham! but it was soooooooo good!) but am right back to my regular weight this morning. Amazing what a bunch of water and paying attention to my carbs can do!

Working on getting all my veggies in on weekends (long or otherwise). It's so much easier when I'm trying to do a bunch of stuff to just grab a bar or protein drink in the middle of the day (or popcorn - I ate popcorn for lunch yesterday) than to actually take time to make something. So my NY resolution is to make sure I have veggies cut up for the weekend so they are easy to grab and munch during the day.

Back to work tomorrow for three days and then a 4 day weekend. Have tickets NY Eve for The Wizard of Oz (only showing for 2 days) - I've only seen it on TV and never in a theater so I'm looking forward to it!

Hugs to everyone!